


No Place For a Child

by lumosnox



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Abusive Dursleys, Babysitting, Childhood Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Drarry, Dursleys, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, PTSD, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 06:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17678045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumosnox/pseuds/lumosnox
Summary: Draco and Harry are minding Teddy when Harry finds Teddy hiding in the cupboard and things spiral out of control.





	No Place For a Child

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick oneshot. I haven't written anything in a good long while, be gentle!

“I can’t believe you volunteered us to mind a four year old for an entire day,” Draco whined as they stepped up to Andromeda’s door.

Harry sighed, “Really Draco, Teddy’s a good kid. He’s also your cousin. Stop whinging, it will be fun.”

“I’m not whinging,” Draco grumbled as Harry knocked on the door. Andromeda and Teddy lived in a small cottage in Ottery St Catchpole, closeby to the Weasley’s for frequent shenanigans and easy babysitting for Andromeda. Today happened to be a last minute request, and Harry had gleefully volunteered himself and Draco.

Little feet pattered on the floor and it flung open to show Teddy with a huge grin, his hair a bright orange. He looked a picture perfect Weasley. Seeing the pair at his doorstep, he screwed up his features and his hair popped into platinum blond. He laughed at Draco’s shocked expression and screamed, “I’m you!” before turning around and running into the house.

Pulling off their scarves and jackets, Harry and Draco walked into the cottage and were greeted by Andromeda. 

“Thank you so much for coming, boys! You’ve saved me big time, I owe you. I’ll be home by 4pm. Teddy usually eats lunch around noon. He doesn’t nap anymore. Any questions?” She was already pulling on her own coat and reaching for her keys.

“Um…” Draco began, but Harry cut over, “We’ll be fine, see you later!”

She slipped out the front door and left Draco and Harry in the front hall. Harry could feel the nerves radiating off his partner and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “It’ll be fine Draco, we are capable of playing with a four year old for a few hours.”

“Easy for you to say, he’s not your little doppelgänger right now, is he?” Draco grumbled, smoothing back his hair with his hand.

Harry chuckled and gave Draco’s hand one more squeeze before dropping it. He quickly turned and pecked Draco on the cheek and muttered “Thanks.”

Draco was nodding in response when they heard a loud “Ewwww!” from behind the kitchen door jam.

“Teddy,” Harry said, “Come out.”

Teddy spun out the kitchen door. He was wearing a pirates costume, complete with plastic sword and eyepatch. His hair was still blonde. Harry burst out laughing.

“He looks like young you - but I can’t imagine - “ he took in some air between chuckles “- you dressed as a pirate!”

“Ahoy, matey!” Teddy shouted as Draco squinted at his outfit.

“What is a pirate?”

Harry laughed harder and Teddy ran over to Draco and demanded, tip of the sword at nearly reaching Draco’s neck, “Give me yer gold ye old swashbuckler!”

“Um...what?” Draco asked, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“Teddy, be nice,” Harry said, “Tell Draco what a pirate is.”

Teddy swung the sword down from Draco’s throat and said, “A pirate steals from other boats!” before screwing up his face and turning his hair into the dreadlocks of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Harry roared with laughter and Teddy smiled up at him before turned his hair to Harry’s jet black.

“Alright...I’ll take your word for it, kid,” Draco said.

Teddy clasped his hands behind his back and looked up with big brown eyes at the pair and said sweetly, “Can we pleaseeee play hide and seek?”

“Sure,” Harry replied.

“You’re the finder!” Teddy yelled while pointing at Harry before taking off down the hall and running up the stairs.

Draco hadn’t moved and Harry turned to him, crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow, saying, “You’ve played hide and seek before, right? Go hide.”

Looking affronted, Draco said, “Of course I have, you ponce.” He took off down the hall and veered into the living room out of sight.

“One, two, three, four…” Harry counted loudly, up to ten before beginning his search.

He peeked in the kitchen, even bending down to look under the table, nothing.

He looked into the living room, but knowing Draco was probably a cheat and using magic, he decided to head upstairs after his godson.

He peered into all the bedrooms, even checking under the beds, but came up empty. He pulled back the Chudley Cannons shower curtain with a triumphant grin, but Teddy wasn’t there.

“Teddy,” he called in a sing-song voice. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

Listening closely, Harry heard a shoe scuff. It appeared to have come from the hallway cupboard. Harry felt his heart rate double as his palms began to sweat.

No. No no no no.

All of a sudden, anger flooded his body. This wasn’t a joke or a game. Cupboards aren’t meant for housing - or hiding - children. With a surge of indignation he swung open the door.

Teddy looked up at him with a sheepish smile at being caught, but instead of seeing his Uncle Harry grinning at him, Harry looked enraged.

Harry himself felt his heart skip a few beats, at seeing a tiny boy with his jet black hair hugging his knees in the cupboard. 

He reached in quickly, grabbing Teddy’s arm and yanking him out of the small space.

“What are you doing in there!” He yelled. Harry noticed his grip on the boy and let go, reminding himself that he was not his Uncle.

“You shouldn’t be hiding in a cupboard,” Harry ground out, loudly. “It’s not...it’s not a place for a child!”

Harry heard quick steps on the stairs and felt Draco’s hand on the small of his back. Draco looked perplexed - he should be, Harry had not told him much about his childhood - and said, “Harry, love, don’t yell at Teddy. A cupboard is a fine spot to hide in a game of hide and seek.”

“No, it’s not,” Harry seethed. “It’s dark, and cold, and there are spiders.” All of a sudden, Harry emotions swung back low and he felt like he was going to break down. Seeing Harry’s eyes fill with tears, an alarmed Draco looked at Teddy.

“You, Teddy. Go to your room for a little bit and play. It’s okay. I just need to talk to Uncle Harry in private.”

Teddy’s bottom lip quivered and his eyes shown with tears as he turned his hair into a dark blue. 

Draco sighed, “You are not in trouble, Teddy, I just need to speak to Harry without you.”

Teddy nodded and ran to the end of the hall and into the room.

Upon hearing Teddy’s door slam, Harry turned to Draco and immediately could not stop his tears as he clutched on to him.

“Harry, love, let’s go downstairs and talk,” Draco murmured soothingly as he led his distraught partner down the stairs and to the living room couch.

Draco had his arm around Harry and was stroking his upper arm. He could feel Harry trembling underneath him, tears still quietly streaking down his face.

“Harry, what is going on? Please talk to me, I’m scared.”

Harry didn’t say anything, but did reach for Draco’s free hand, clutching it for dear life.

“Harry, are you okay? Please say something.”

“No,” Harry whispered.

Draco shifted on the couch and lightly pulled Harry’s chin, so he was looking him in the face.

“Harry, I love you. It is okay. You are safe. You don’t have to tell me anything if you do not want to, but know I love you and I am here for you. I am on your side.”

Harry smirked slightly at Draco’s wording, remembering how in fact Draco was not technically on his side in the war.

His small smile fell. Taking a deep breath he said, “I haven’t told you very much about growing up with the Dursley’s.”

Draco dropped his free hand back into Harry lap, grabbed his hand, and started massaging where his thumb met his hand.

“I don’t like to talk about it.”

“I gathered,” Draco replied.

“I don’t know how to even say it.”

Draco continued to rub his hand and made a noise of acknowledgement. He didn’t want to speak too much - this was up to Harry.

“I lived in a cupboard until I was 11,” Harry said, bluntly.

Draco stopped moving his hand. He felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

“Come again?” He said, icily.

“I used to live in a cupboard. Like the one upstairs, just my cupboard was under the stairs.”

“Your cupboard.”

“Um, yeah,” Harry replied.

“Your cupboard. Under the stairs. Where you lived. All the time?” Draco asked with a question, resuming tracing patterns on Harry’s hand.

Harry seemed to melt into him, folding into his embrace, seeking comfort and security.

“Yes,” He said meekly.

Harry continued, “Sometimes they would lock me in, when I’d done something wrong. Well, they always locked me in, but I mean for a long time.”

Draco squeezed his hand in anger, feeling the burn run through him.

“How long?” He ground out.

“Uh, I don’t know. Like...a week maybe? Maybe more, maybe less.”

“A week. A fucking week, Harry? What the fuck! What did you eat?!” Draco was not controlling his anger well. 

Harry looked away.

“What did you eat?” Draco replied.

Harry, still looked away, said, “Nothing much, really. Maybe Petunia would give me some bread and water sometimes, maybe once a day. So I didn’t die in there.”

Draco flung his head back on the couch and looked at the ceiling. “So you didn’t die in there. Merlin. Harry.” He sat back up and wrapped both arms around his love.

“It wasn’t all bad in there, at least Vernon couldn’t get me in there, the spiders were kind of my friends, too.” Draco clung tighter to Harry.

“You do know this is all really fucked up, right?” Draco asked into Harry’s shoulder.

Harry snorted. “Yes.”

“I see why you lost it on Teddy now, I’d have gone mad seeing a little me locked in my childhood hell, too.”

Harry jerked and pulled away, standing up. 

“Oh man, Teddy, I have to go see him. Did I hurt him?”

Draco stood to meet him. 

“He’s fine, Harry. Perhaps a little shaken up. Uninjured. Unlikely to hide in that cupboard again, but fine.”

“I need to go apologize.”

“That can wait a minute,” Draco said, pulling Harry into a close hug. They stood there, swaying to the breeze outside for a minute, before Draco whispered in Harry’s ear, “What happened to you was wrong. Thank you for telling me. I love you.” Unable to resist a quick jibe, he continued, “and I will always go get things from inside our closets.”

“Prat,” Harry said, slapping him in the arm.

Draco grinned, rubbing Harry’s cheek with his fingertips. “Really though, I do love you.”

“I love you, too,” Harry murmured, leaning in for a passionate kiss. So much passed between them in that kiss - trust, love, fear, sorrow, guilt. 

Pulling apart, Draco said, “Let’s go free the monster upstairs. I bet he’ll forgive us if we take him outside to fly.”

“Andromeda doesn’t like when he flies without her supervision,” Harry said.

Draco shrugged, “Well, we will be the cool uncles then, won’t we?”

Harry beamed as he chased Draco up the stairs.


End file.
